The Arizona Supreme Court today rejected Rep. Russ Jones’ emergency petition to keep state House candidate Darin Mitchell from appearing on the November ballot, meaning his name will remain there even if he is ultimately disqualified for living outside his district.

A trio of judges granted state House candidate Darin Mitchell’s appeal to stay on the November ballot today, just moments before the final tally in the Legislative District 13 district meeting vote declared Rep. Russ Jones as Mitchell’s replacement.

Darin Mitchell, the legislative candidate who was removed from the November 6 ballot yesterday after a Maricopa County Superior Court judge ruled that he did not live in the district he planned to represent, has filed an appeal.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Robert Oberbillig ruled today that Republican Darin Mitchell, a candidate for state House in Legislative District 13, does not live in the district he sought to represent and must be removed from the ballot.

After avoiding the media for more than two weeks, legislative candidate Darin Mitchell appeared Thursday in a Maricopa County Superior Court, finally answering questions about where he lives.

The attorney for a Republican lawmaker is asking a judge to bar two counties from printing ballots until residency questions surrounding the man who beat him in last month’s election are settled.

But elections officials say the early deadline for printing fewer than 250 ballots for military and overseas voters makes that impossible, and could mean that Darin Mitchell’s name appears on the ballots for the district’s other 94,000 voters that will be printed later this month – even if a judge rules that he is ineligible to hold office.

Darin Mitchell is now under investigation by the Arizona Registrar of Contractors, thanks to statements from Mitchell and his campaign chair saying he was overseeing a remodel project at the vacant home he claims is his residence.

After winning a three-way Republican primary for two House seats in the heavily Republican Legislative District 13 on Aug. 28, the road to the Arizona House of Representatives was wide open for political newcomer Darin Mitchell.

Darin Mitchell, the political newcomer who beat Rep. Russ Jones in last week’s Republican primary election for a Legislative District 13 House seat, released a statement yesterday saying he lives in the district – and out of the district.

Rep. Steve Montengro is standing by his running mate, saying he has no reason to believe Darin Mitchell lives outside Legislative District 13, despite overwhelming evidence and Mitchell’s own admission that he doesn’t live in the district he seeks to represent.